As I'm still reasonably new to the weight training I don't always know how to take articles that people send me, if they are believable, etc. Someone sent me this one on another board yesterday after I posted in a discussion about how to get rid of belly fat, said I would make myself look larger if I continued on the exercise path I was on. I have noticed that my waist is an inch larger than last month at this time, but I don't think that is from my exercise. I figure it is from too much bad food this month and some retained water... My chest measurement is up the same amount, another reason I figure it is from water retention, I figure it makes sense it would be all over.

I have heard other people say that working with heavy weights will make the waist bigger also.
I train bodyweight and light weights, so I really can't say if that's true or not.
It was nice to see some of the exercises that I already do in his article ( a little validation for me )
I also think some of the photos in his article are probably photoshopped.

Every person is different and everyone responds to exercise differently. You've just gotta find what works for you. If you do something and get unfavorable results, stop doing it.
I frequent another forum where women say that they do bulk up when they lift heavy or do KBs. Some people say they slim down. Do what works for you

I have heard other people say that working with heavy weights will make the waist bigger also.
I train bodyweight and light weights, so I really can't say if that's true or not.
It was nice to see some of the exercises that I already do in his article ( a little validation for me )
I also think some of the photos in his article are probably photoshopped.

Every person is different and everyone responds to exercise differently. You've just gotta find what works for you. If you do something and get unfavorable results, stop doing it.
I frequent another forum where women say that they do bulk up when they lift heavy or do KBs. Some people say they slim down. Do what works for you

I don't know if it's legit or not. It was certainly interesting. I'm just getting into weight training. You'd never know it because of my fat but I'm pretty strong. I build muscle like a guy! Even at my fattest I still had definition in my biceps. I've got those masculine broad shoulders too. Sigh.

I'm getting ready to add weight training to my regimen but I am worried about getting too bulky in some places. I suppose I've got a long way to go until that happens though so I should just get started.

I will keep in mind the stuff from the article though. I'm not planning on doing any inner thigh work, for example, because I DON'T want to bulk up that muscle. Outer thighs are already muscular no matter what I do so I may as well work them to create strong definition again.

I'm not sure about the ab stuff. I have no clue if I'll ever get my belly into any kind of respectable shape without surgery. I've had a c-section AND twins so between that and the weight gain, my belly has been stretched beyond any reasonable proportion. I have to lose a lot more weight before my waistline is a huge concern though so I'll just worry about that later.

My opinion? I agree that people tend to make too much of very minor physiological differences between men and women. I also agree that it doesn't make sense to think that you can reduce your waist size by doing situps or side bends.

However, I disagree with the author's apparent premise that (1) women's goals are limited to two options: looking like a female bodybuilder or looking like the Brittany / Tiffany / name-your-y of the day; and (2) only the latter is "hot" or "smoking" or a "vixen" etc. What about body types like those on the crossfit women, who are strong AND feminine?

I recognize that this is an issue of goals, but it's more than that -- it's also an issue of long-term health, strength, and, yes, aesthetics. Notice that at least two of the women that the author sets up as ideal body types (Jessica and Brittany) have had their own problems with weight gain -- and it's been fat, not muscle. Yeah, they looked like "vixens" when they were first on the scene, but age happens. Say what you will about Madonna's body (and the fashion choices that show it ... all of it, all the time), but she's been able to maintain it over the years while the Jessica Simpsons of the world come and go. And, I can pretty much guarantee that Madonna doesn't spend her time on isolation exercises for the outer thighs and delts.

Good point, kaw. I saw Madonna on some tv interview in the last few weeks and she looked great, and has consistently looked great as long as I remember. I've also see a lot of crossfit women who looked great as well. I need to keep in mind that this was written by a man who seemingly prefers the 'smoking hot' stereotype.

One thing the article really didn't address is that you need excess calories to build muscle and bulk up. Also I've heard that extremely heavy weight and low reps (below 6) will cause bulk while heavy weight and medium range reps won't. Article didn't address that fact either. Lastly, it does take a lot of time to build muscle as it is a slow process. In the beginning of weight lifting, you will build some muscle and build it faster than later on but the article addresses that Britney had been doing excessive ab work for YEARS before she got to the point of a thicker waist.

I like the article and think there are some good points. I personally don't do a lot of ab work and I'd agree that side bends should be avoided in women as well as explicit inner/outer thigh work. The ab work I do happen to do is either part of a compound workout or its just a normal part of the workout rather than emphasized.

Beyond that, another thing to note is it is extremely easy to lose muscle and if you stop doing an exercise, the muscle will shrink. If you are close to goal weight and don't like the look of your muscle definition and think you are too bulky in certain areas, then you back off. I'm no where near that point.

Edited to add: I think kaw said it best, the author of the article is working in extremes and doesn't address the middle ground. I lift heavy and I have no plans to change that.

I've read a bunch of Chat Waterbury articles and he it seems he is saying pretty much the exactly opposite of everything else on T-Nation and Figure Athlete. This article is directed at a different target audience I suppose. If you want to look like the "before" Brittany than no, serious weight training isn't necessary. But is that what you want to look like? He left out the fact that she was like what, 15 in that first picture? And ten years later her body is going to be different. She wasn't necessarily going to stay that that thin as she aged doing the same thing she had always done.

Now, I'm working my way to heavy lifting though I would not say I'm there yet. I'm struggling but I'm trying. I have lost 7 inches in my waist. I'm sure that if I did a bunch of ab work it would make it larger. I've seen that happen too but just because you are lifting heavy doesn't mean you are doing to end up doing that to yourself. And what is bigger anyway? You strip down all the fat on your waist and it's going to be pretty small. Add a little muscle and it could look just fine!

And, his leg talk. Yes every woman wants smaller legs because she wants the fat gone!!! That doesn't mean she doesn't want more muscle. But if you confuse her telling her that more muscle has to mean bigger legs (leaving out the fact she's going to lose inches of fat)...she's going to agree with you. You get rid of the fat and you build a little layer of muscle for nice, shapely leg. Most women over estimate how much muscle they have in their leg and underestimate how much fat they have. Not all of course but many women who hate their legs are confused by what exactly makes up those legs. This guy is just promoting that confusion. Yes there are women who build muscle quickly. Yes, there are women who can look bulky easily (I saw one at my gym a couple weeks ago) but in general it isn't a problem unless you purposely get yourself to that level.

And, I can pretty much guarantee that Madonna doesn't spend her time on isolation exercises for the outer thighs and delts.

Kim, that last sentence of your post confused me. You really think that Madonna doesn't do any isolation exercises for her delts? I have a pic of her on my fridge (for inspiration) and those are SOME DELTS!!! I wish our scanner at work was functional, I would gladly post that picture here. I believe that she must have targeted them, more or less, in her training.

I am not sure about many of the claims in the article but I do agree with him regarding the abs. I was a group exercise instructor/personal trainer for a few years and was saving for college so I taught a minimum of 60 classes per month = multiple reps of many exercises throughout the day. I had a six-pack but the size of my waist grew also. All my instructor friends (at least the ones that taught multiple classes) had flat, defined but wide waistlines. I especially noticed the wider waistline/bulging ab muscles when I started teaching multiple pilates classes per week. I started instructing more rather than demonstrating in my classes and the issue was corrected to a point - not entirely.

When I started school, I went down to teaching just a few classes per week and gained some weight due to the drastic reduction in exercise and no change in diet to reflect the reduced activity. I looked like the "after" Britney picture = you could see definition in my mid-section but there was also a pudgy section on top.

I got back on the regular exercise/healthy bandwagon - fewer reps after graduation and my mid-section is now flat again but not rock-hard - it is also not as wide. I naturally have an hourglass shape and I think my waist would have been even smaller without the excessive reps.

I can usually spot instructors (at least the ones that teach a lot of core classes or incorporate a lot of core work in their classes) just by looking at the mid section.

Kim, that last sentence of your post confused me. You really think that Madonna doesn't do any isolation exercises for her delts? I have a pic of her on my fridge (for inspiration) and those are SOME DELTS!!! I wish our scanner at work was functional, I would gladly post that picture here. I believe that she must have targeted them, more or less, in her training.

Alena

From my understanding, Madonna does a lot of body weight exercises which is where she gets her muscles but she also has low body fat.

Sorry to be confusing. Madonna definitely works her delts. My point was more that Madonna looks like she spends most of her gym time on full body exercises and compound lifts, not (just) on isolation delt work or outer thigh work or left pinkie work.

To make this less abstract, you could do overhead presses with a barbell or dumbbells to work delts, or you could do front, lateral, and side raises. Both have their place. But OH presses are compound lifts, and work all kinds of stabilizer muscles that the FLS raises don't. I'd lay odds that Madonna's shoulder workout is 80-90% compound lifts and 10-20% isolation exercises, rather than 90-100% isolation exercises (which seemed to be what the T-nation author advocates).